Apparatus for filleting fish



. June 8, 1943. w, un-6N Y 2,321,086

APPARATUS FOR FIULETING FISH Original Filed May 27, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet1 INVENTOR N Mum/v #0770 I ArToRNE June 8, 1943. w. HUTTON APPARATUS FORFILL'E'IIING FISH Original Filed May 27, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORlV/ZL //i M "I'UTW Q A D Q iliil iia. w R L1H, T I i. Q t m 2 FL, m QQBY f ATTORN'E June 8, 1943. w, HUTTON- 2,321,086

APPARATUS FOR FILLETING FISH ori inal Filed May 27, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheeta INVENTOR W/(L IAM ##7'7614 June 8, 1943. w. HUTTQN APPARATUS FORFILLETING PIS H Original Filed May 27, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 I. u a

a my R -55? Q ATTORNEY,

Patented June 8, 1943 tin-ire stars tion of California;

Original application May 27', 1941, Serial No. 395,401. Divided and thisapplication October 13, 1942, Serial No. 461,879

8 Claims.

Thisinvention relates toa machine for filleting fresh' fish. Certainfish, particularly Mon terey sardines, are usually filleted by hand andthe fillets then smoked or canned, the fillets being so cut from thefish that only the fine; bone less meat is cut from the fish. Tofacilitate this operation, .to make it practical on a large scalebasisenabl'ing' it to beopracticed as acommercial venture, I havedevised a method for handling fish and cutting fillets therefrom and,also, a machine for practicing this method and handling the fish on alarge scale.

It is in general the broad object of the present invention to provide afish fillet machine capable of rapid and efficient operation to the endthat there is cut from the fish only the finest, boneless meat. In thisconnection it is to be pointed out that While various machines have beendesigned heretofore to cut fish, these have been such that, in effect,they merely slice from the fish slabs of meat and this more or lessindiscriminately and without regard to whether bones, fins or otherundesirable portions are included. In this connectionI wish to point outthat Monterey sardines have a black membrane, the peritoneum, lining theabdominal portion of the fish which is not removed in the usualeviscerating operation. The prior art has usually contented itself withmerely slicing the sides of the fish away from the backbone afterevisceration, such an bperation being typically shown in Figures 11 and,12 in the Faulkner Patent 2,234,431 Of March 11, 1941. In accordancewith this invention the fish, freed of only its head and tail, is sohandled and cut as to leave intact the backbone, rib portions of thefish and the portion carrying the fins, while two slabs are cut from thefish, one at each side thereof, substantially free from any bones andfree from any portion of the peritoneum. In. this way one is able toprovide the public, at very low cost, with the finest meat having a verypalatable appearance.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage some ofwhich, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein thepresent preferred form of machine of this invention is disclosed.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof and illustratingthe present preferred machine embodying this invention, Figure 1 is aside elevation illustrating the machine and its generalrelation tocertain feed m'echanisr'ns.

Figures 2, 3, 4, and '7 are respectively sections t t along he sectionlines 2; 41:4, 5, and 7-1 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the feed mechanismand fillet slicing machine. Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view illustratingthe handling and cutting of a fish in accordance with this invention. tt

The machine of the present invention includes a first conveyor generallyindicated at It (Figures 1, 2 and 4), made up of achain H5 suitablysupported for movement by means including a sprocket I! mounted on ashaft I3 journaled to frame 25. Secured to spaced links of the chain arerecessed conveyor blocks l9 to receive the fish. Conveyor l4 moves tothe right in Figure 4 and, as it does so it passes beneath a pair ofspaced knives 2| mounted on a shaft 22, the knives fitting snuglyagainst the end of the conveyor blocks H! to slice off any portions ofthe fish extendin beyond the ends of the blocks, usually the heads andtailsg Ihe tailless and headless fish are discharged into a stationarytrough 23 supported on a suitableframe 24 usually placed at right anglesto frame 25 supporting conveyor l4, both frames being made up I ofsuitable angle and channel ironswelded or bolted together as desired.Inasmuch as the frame can be provided in any desired manner, it will notbe further described;

, Afeed conveyor 26 made up of a chain 21 having apluralityof open links28 to engage and hold the fish is provided at the bottom of the trough,being extended about sprockets 29 and 3| suitably journaled on the frame24. As appears in Figure l, conveyor 23 moves downwardly as it advancestoward a pair of spaced fillet cutting knives 33 to carry a fish in forcutting. Each knife is carried upon a suitable shaft 34 rotatable in abearing 35 provided in bracket arm 35. Each arm St is secured by a bolt37 to a bracket 38 on oppositesides of the frame 24 to enable the knifeangle to be adjusted. The adjustable bracketsenable the angle of theknives to be varied although an acute angle between them of about 10usually sumces, Each shaft 3 is secured by a universal joint 39 to adrive shaft 4| suitably journaled inthe supporting bracket 38. IDepending upon the size of the fish being handled it maybe possible torun the feed conveyor 26 between the knives. However, with sr'oall fishas sardineait is preferable to terminate the feed conveyor 26 short ofthe space between the knives to secure the maximum fillet cut from thefish. Also, to ensure that the maximum amount of boneless, fine meat becut from the side of the fish I provide feeding means to facilitatehandling of the fish and positive feeding of the fish onto the rotatingknives with the fish so 7 ing it on toward the cutting knives.

shaped that the largest fillet cut is secured therefrom. To this end Itrain two conveyor belts 46, one on each side of the machine, tocontinue the sides of the trough 23 and. preform the fish for filleting.The belts are advanced to the left in Figure 6 and are normally parallelto each other and parallel to a plane normal to the plane of movement ofthe feed conveyor 26 as they move along in engagement with the fish,advanc- Each flat belt 46 is trained about a drive pulley 41 suitablyjournaled on shaft 48 mounted in a bracket 49 mounted on the side of themachine, the pulley 41 being suitably connected to a drive sprocket Thefiat belt is trained about an idler pulley 52 journaled on a shaft 53and mounted in a bracket 54 secured on the frame of the machine. Thebelt 46 also passes about an idler pulley 56 journaled on a shaft 51supported by bracket 58. The function of the belts is twofold; first, toadvance the fish and, second, to form the fish for filleting bycompressing the fish belly to work the entrails and body cavity intosuch position that they are out of the way of the cutting knives. Inaccordance with this invention other means are provided for assisting inworking the fish entrails out of the way whereby only the finestboneless meat is cut from the sides of the fish and backbone, ribs,other bone structure, as well as the belly and fin portion of the fishare left. This has been more or less diagrammatically shown in Figure 8wherein it is to be noted that the backbone indicated at 6|, the rib andbone structure indicated at 62 and the belly portion 63 of the fish areleft While the outside fillets 64 have been separated along the twodotted lines 65 corresponding to the cutting knives path. To facilitatein this I provide a pair of wire or rodlike members 66 joined to the endof the trough 23 and extending substantially to engagement with thecutting knives, these rods serving to pinch inwardly the opposite bellyportions of the fish as it is fed on between the knives. Positive feedmeans are provided, in conjunction with the knives and Wires 66, in theform of the toothed wheels 6! secured to shafts 68 journaled in brackets59. Each toothed wheel 61 is grooved as at 12 and the wires or rods 65fit therein. This ensures that the fish is moved positively along thewires as it is compressed by them and the body cavity is so deformedtemporarily as to hold the entrails out of the Way of the knives. Eachshaft 63 includes a sprocket 69 thereon, a chain H being extended aboutthe sprocket 69 and the sprocket 5| on shaft 48 to drive the belt 46.

The various elements of the machine are suitably driven in a timedrelation and to effect this I provide a suitable prime mover generallyindicated at 8| having one drive shaft 22 extending therefrom to drivethe knives 2|. Another drive shaft 82 bears a first sprocket 83, a chain84 being extended about this and about a sprocket 86 on shaft l8.Another sprocket 8'! is provided on shaft 82 and a chain 88 is extendedto pass about it and about a sprocket 89 on a shaft 9| suitablyjournaled 0n the side of frame 24 (Figures ,2 and 4). Shaft 9| carries amitre gear 92 at one end thereof engaging a mitre gear 93 on a shaft 94carrying spur gear 95 meshing with larger gear 96 on shaft 91 whichcarries sprocket 3| of the conveyor 26 to drive that conveyor. Sprockets98 are mounted on opposite sides of shaft 94 and chains 99 are trainedabout these and about sprockets I90 on shafts 4| to drive the knives.

The positive feed wheels 6! and the belt conveyors 46 are driven bymeans of mitre gears 0| positioned on each side of sprocket 3| on theshaft 91, each mitre gear being engaged with a mitre gear I92 carried onshaft 68.

In operation, with the prime mover actuated, the various feed means aredriven in a timed relation. Tailless and headless fish are delivered tothe trough 23 and are advanced through that trough by the conveyor 26,the backbone side of the fish being in engagement with the conveyor 26,the belly being up. As the fish is advanced toward the cutting knives,the opposite belt conveyors 46 and the wires 66 compress and deform theabdomen of the fish and retain it in such a position that, as the fishis advanced into the knives, it presents a solid mass of flesh and bone.The belly portion of the fish is not out, while adequate fillets are cutfrom each side. By deforming the belly portion, pressing inwardly alongopposite sides, the entrails are compressed up into a compact, narrowvertical pocket lying wholly between the knives to escape cutting. Withthe knives properly adjusted, the fillets, free of bones or any bellyportion, are quickly cut therefrom. The backbone of the fish, the finand belly portion, pass on between the knives while the fillets arethrown off to each side of the knives to be collected for subsequentprocessing.

This application is a division of application Serial Number 395,401filed May 27, 1941, now Patent Number 2,311,176 of February 16, 1943.

I claim: I

1. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to eachother androtatable to cut a narrow V out in a decapitated fish, a conveyor forsupporting the back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives, feedmeans on opposite sides of said feed conveyor for moving said fishpositively into said knives, and means tending to force togetheropposite sides of said fish to deform and compress the belly of saidfish out and away from the body of the fish prior to and during cuttingby said knives whereby said knives out substantially boneless andbelly-free fillets off said fish.

2. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V out in a decapitated and tailless fish,a conveyor for supporting the back of said fish to feed said fish tosaid knives, a pair of fiat belt conveyors arranged on opposite sides ofsaid feed conveyor and movable in substantially parallel planessubstantially normal to' the plane of said feed conveyor to move saidfish positively with said feed conveyor into said knives, and meansoperative upon a fish during movement by said conveyors to forcetogether opposite sides of said fish to force the belly of said fishinto a space lying wholly within said knives prior to and during cuttingby said knives whereby said belly is uncut by the knives.

3. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V out in a decapitated fish, a conveyorfor supporting the back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives,feed means on opposite sides of said feed conveyor for moving said fishpositively into said knives, and a pair of rodlike members convergingtoward each other in the direction of advance of said feed conveyor andengaging oppositesides of said fish intermediate the spine and belly tocompress opposite sides thereof together prior to and during cutting bysaid knives.

4. In an apparatus flor preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V cut in a fish, a conveyor for supportingthe back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives, a pair of fiatbelt conveyors arranged on opposite sides of said feed conveyor andmovable in substantially parallel planes substantially normal to theplane of said feed conveyor to move said fish positively with said feedconveyor into said knives, and a pair of rodlike members convergingtoward each other in the direction of advance of said feed conveyor andengaging opposite sides of said fish to force the entrails thereinupwardly into a narrow, compressed, temporarily deformed belly of saidfish prior to and during cutting by said knives.

5. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V out in a fish, a conveyor for supportingthe back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives, feed means onopposite sides of said feed conveyor for moving said fish positivelyinto said knives, means tending to force together opposite sides of saidfish to compress the entrails in the belly of said fish into a narrow,vertically extending mass prior to and during cutting by said knives,and means for engaging opposite sides of said fish to feed positivelysaid fish into said knives while the belly is so compressed.

6. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V out in a fish, a conveyor for supportingthe back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives, a. pair of fiatbelt conveyors arranged on opposite sides of said feed conveyor andmovable in substantially parallel planes substantially normal to theplane of said feed conveyor and in the same direction for moving saidfish positively into said knives, means tending to force togetheropposite sides of said fish to compress the entrails in the belly ofsaid fish into a narrow, vertically extending mass prior to and duringcutting by said knives, and means for engaging opposite sides of saidfish to feed positively said fish into said knives with the belly socompressed.

7. In an apparatus for preparing fillets, a frame, a pair of spacedrotary knives journaled on said frame at an acute angle to each otherand rotatable to cut a narrow V cut in a fish, a conveyor for supportingthe back of said fish to feed said fish to said knives, a pair of flatbelt conveyors arranged on opposite sides of said feed conveyor andmovable in substantially parallel planes substantially normal to theplane of said feed conveyor for moving said fish positively into saidknives, a pair of rodlike members converging toward each other in thedirection of advance of said feed conveyor to force together oppositesides of said fish to compress the entrails in the belly of said fishinto a narrow, vertically extending mass prior to and during cutting bysaid knives, and a pair of rotatable positive feed wheels for engagingopposite sides of said fish to feed positively said fish into saidknives with the belly so compressed.

8. In an apparatus for preparing fillets from fish having an abdominalcavity, conveyor means for moving said fish along a path and forcompressing the abdominal cavity of said fish, means cooperating withsaid conveyor means and effective upon fish moved by said conveyor meansto force the entrails therein together and outwardly away from the fishspine whereby the fish flesh portion is substantially uniform in crosssectional area and for retaining said cavity so compressed while saidfish is moved by said conveyor means, and a pair of spaced cuttingknives mounted to cut at an acute angle to each other to out said fishon a narrow V and slice off a fillet from each side thereof withoutcutting into the fish belly and its contents.

WILLIAM HUTTON.

